THE WRAP UP
ROCKER ROD’S FIRSTBORN REVEALS HOW THEY HEALED
Rod’s reconciliation; Barbara’s brave battle with dementia
Sir Rod Stewart has finally reconciled with his eldest daughter, 55 years after he and his childhood sweetheart were forced to give her up for adoption.
The legendary rocker says he’s thrilled to finally have a relationship with Sarah Streeter, who was conceived when
Rod (73) and his childhood sweetheart were teenagers. “She calls me Dad, and I call her my daughter,” he tells. “We’re doing our best.”
Sarah, a recovering drug addict and alcoholic, only learnt her father was rock star Rod when she turned 18, and despite a few attempts to reconcile over the years, she has only recently begun to think of him as her father.
“It’s taken time because he’s not just my dad, is he?” she says. “He’s a big star. So of course, that makes it difficult, especially when, like me, you lack confidence.”
With eight children to four different women – Kimberley
(39) and Sean (38) with Alana Stewart (73); Ruby (31) to Kelly Emberg (59); Renee (26) and Liam (24) with Rachel Hunter (49); and Alistair (12) and Aiden (7) with third wife Penny Lancaster (47) – Rod’s a busy dad.
And he admits his relationship with Sarah will never be like those with his other children.
“We don’t see much of each other, but we do keep in contact,” he tells. “It’s not quite the same, and she knows it. I didn’t take her to school, I didn’t change her nappies. I didn’t do anything with her as a child.”
While he feels some guilt for not being there for his eldest child, Rod says he’s trying his best to make up for lost time, a gesture Sarah appreciates. “I feel like I am a genuine part of his extended family, which is wonderful,” she says.